Phoenix
by Aussie-Muggle
Summary: Unable to stay at the palace any longer, Azula leaves the Fire Nation only to find herself stranded at the South Pole. Post-series.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: My eight year old cousin (who has excellent taste it turns out) pointed me in the direction of this series._

_I felt really sorry for Azula at the end (and I don't like Ursa at all) so I'm writing yet another redemption story. I will try to keep her as in character as such a story will allow._

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**Chapter One: **Leaving

No one recognised her at the port. She was dressed in the plain grey clothes of a civilian and no one had seen her face in years. The crew of the weather worn vessel even tried to cheat her out of a few gold coins. They tried… but she managed to scare them off with a glare and some well chosen, harsh words.

Fire Princess Azula smiled wryly as she entered the passenger's quarters. She still had it.

The cabin was much smaller than the Princess was accustomed to. Someone had clumsily thrown a sheet and a straw mattress onto the metal slab she was expected to sleep on. There were no windows but there was a decent sized oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. Azula grimaced slightly before sitting down gingerly on the slab and putting her pack down.

_Cattle class accommodation at its finest…_

It was a small price to pay. She wanted to remain inconspicuous. After all, the only people who knew she was leaving the Fire Nation were Mai and her brother. The subjects of the Earth Kingdom would not be pleased to hear that the infamous Princess Azula was paying them a visit.

"_Mai said you were leaving," said Zuko quietly._

_Azula put down the bag she had finishing packing clumsily and turned to face the Firelord. Her brother's features were utterly impassive and she couldn't read them. It was odd… he was usually an open book._

"_I need to go away for a while," she said, keeping her tone equally emotionless._

_She expected him to protest or even forbid her from leaving. He had the power to do that now and the easiest way to keep an eye on someone was to have them around. Zuko only nodded._

"_Are you going to stay with Uncle?"_

_It took all her restraint not to roll her eyes._

"_That's a great idea, Zuzu," she said mockingly. "I'll just stroll up to Ba Sing Se and maybe… if I'm _really _good… they won't _execute_ me."_

"_Uncle would vouch for you," scowled Zuko. "There's no need to be condescending."_

_The truth was that she'd rather not force her company on yet another electrocuted/burned family member. Zuko had let her stay in the palace out of pity... there was no other explanation. Iroh was sure to do the same. _

"_I don't like tea, Zuko," she said, using his proper name as a sort of apology. "It tastes like leaves."_

"_Where will you go then?"_

"_There are remote places in the Earth Kingdom I could go without being recognised."_

"_Will you be back?"_

_He tried to sound casual but this time he failed dismally. _

_The sentimental idiot was actually sorry she was going. This bothered her. She felt like she was leaving him to the sharkeels; the sharkeels that ate sentimental idiots who were far too forgiving and trusting for their own good. _

_Azula managed a smirk._

"_I'll be back, Zuzu... whether you like it or not."_

The ship had reached open water and night had fallen. The Fire Nation was a sliver of land in the distance. Using her pack as a pillow, Azula drifted off into a restless sleep. It was a three day trip to the Earth Kingdom through stormy seas. She had to take advantage of every opportunity to rest she had.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **G'Day everyone. A few people thought it was odd that Azula was out of the asylum and Zuko apparently forgave her... this fic is set about five years after Sozin's Comet and is not AU (much). In this fic she was in the asylum but Zuko lets her out after she... stops halucinating and trying to kill people, I guess. Since Zuko was heartily forgiven for burning villages, trying to capture people, betraying his Uncle and 'jerkbending'... I figured he'd be more forgiving himself. How can he fix the Fire Nation if he can't do anything about his own sister?_

**

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**

**Chapter Two:** Off Course

It was, as Azula predicted, a rough night. It was difficult to get sleep when you were continuously thrown off your uncomfortable slab onto the damp floor. Stiff, sore and in a somewhat volatile mood, she stalked up to the deck in the morning.

The sea was calm for the time being. Perhaps it did not want to aggravate Azula further. The other passengers were wise enough to give her a wide berth. What she saw on deck did nothing to improve her mood.

Land... the wrong land.

Nomad Territory.

Azula had been taught how to navigate. She spent hours studying the terrain and weather patterns of enemy lands. One needed to take these things into account when planning an invasion. The distant mountain range she was looking at was most certainly not the Earth Kingdom.

Azula found the Captain leisurely strolling on the deck. He had the telltale look of her Father's less competent subjects who had high ranking positions due to superior lineage and the ability to lick the right shoes. She quickly caught up with him. The cheerful 'good morning' died in his throat when he noticed the look on her face.

"Are we lost, _Captain_?" asked Azula with deceptive politeness.

The Captain took a few moments to compose himself.

"W-We were blown slightly off course," he said a little shakily.

"Slightly?" echoed Azula scornfully. "_We're in the wrong ocean_."

He was unable to say anything coherent. A passing crew member dressed in a clean, fairly non-descript uniform decided to speak for the Captain since he had apparently lost the ability to do anything but stutter.

He looked about Iroh's age and was dragging a wet mop and a bucket behind him. Azula assumed from the scars on his arms that he served in the Fire Nation forces at some point.

"Don't worry, little Miss," he said with a good natured, peasant drawl that would not have endeared him to any of the Fire Nation Captains. "We'll get you to the Earth Kingdom in one piece."

Azula chose to ignore the manner of his address. No one had ever called her 'little Miss' in her entire life but she was pretending to be a civilian after all. She needed someone to speak to who wasn't a complete dullard like the Captain. The man had actually scampered away when he thought Azula wasn't looking.

"These waters are notoriously dangerous," she said after throwing the retreating Captain a look of derision. "Most vessels make a point to avoid Nomad Territory."

The old sailor raised his eyebrows.

"You've been aboard ships before, Miss," he said shrewdly.

Azula was always very good at lying through her teeth. The best way to do it was to include an element of truth.

"My family have interests in the Navy," she said casually. _They command it._

"Most ships stay well shot of Nomad Territory," said the man in agreement. "Stupid sons of lizard rats think it's haunted… but I reckon it's the storms and the rocks you got to be worried about."

The man sighed and began to wistfully wipe the floor.

"Unfortunately for us, the Moon Spirit was in one of her feisty moods," he said. "She sent us right where we didn't want to be."

Azula managed to hide her scowl. _Fantastic... thwarted by Sokka's imaginary lover._

She quickly scanned the state of the ship. She had seen better. No vessel under _her _command would have been so neglected.

"Can this rusty bucket of bolts handle another storm?" asked Azula, her eyes fixed on a steel panel that needed replacing.

The old sailor grinned, revealing one missing tooth. Someone who had not spent their entire lives in the company of war lords may have been unnerved by it.

"That depends on the storm now, doesn't it?"

"We'll see, I suppose," she said with a shrug.

Azula turned to leave. The sailor tugged at her sleeve to stop her.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention our little chat to the legless folk," he said, jerking his head to the other passengers who hung their heads over the banisters to either admire the local marine life or hurl the contents of their stomach into the sea. "They tend to panic."

"I take your point," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "You can be assured of my discretion."

"And you can be assured of mine, Princess."

Azula looked at him sharply. The sailor inclined his head. It was as close you could get to a bow without anyone getting suspicious.

"I'm old Fire Nation Navy," he said with his tooth deprived grin. "Nothing gets passed me 'cept the Avatar."

Azula would have been amused if she hadn't spent weeks trying to capture Avatar Aang herself. Her only consolation was that Zuko had spent almost four years trying to find and failing to capture the slippery monk. The man seemed trustworthy... so Azula resolved _not _to trust him and to keep an eye on him.

"Don't worry... these dunderheads won't notice nothing," said the sailor. "Too busy feeding the fish."

Azula nodded curtly and headed swiftly back to her cabin. She wasn't in the mood to appreciate the view near a place she didn't even want to be.

The sailor returned to his swabbing, humming one of her Uncle's more annoying tunes in the wrong key. He didn't ask why the usually palace bound Princess was leaving the Fire Nation. He knew better than to pry in the affairs of royalty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: **The South Pole

_"You want lightning? I'll show you lightening!"_

Azula's eyes flew open.

It was not the dream that had awoken her. She usually experienced that particular nightmare right to the humiliating conclusion. It wasn't even the violent rocking of the ship.

It was the lightning... the feel of it… the intoxicating power…the sound … the _smell_ of it in the air. It roused her from sleep like dawn. The storm raging outside was going to get much worse.

Azula got to her feet. Dirty, cold water had seeped into her cabin while she slept. Pausing only to cringe at the sight, Azula swiftly got dressed and headed outside. Some of the other passengers stood in the corridor with her, holding onto the railings. A very pale, extremely wet sailor stumbled into corridor.

"Don't panic," said the sailor in a panicky tone. "Just head back inside."

The other passengers were quick to comply. Azula brushed passed them and made her way up to the deck. Waves slammed into the ship and rain relentlessly hammered everything within its reach.

The captain was speaking frantically to a few of his senior crew members on deck. Excitement did not suit him. The thinning layer of grey hair had been plastered onto his head by rain and his features were bright red, giving his round head the appearance of a disfigured war balloon. He winced when Azula reached them.

"We need to land immediately," she called over the pouring rain, her tone full of authority. "This storm is only going to get worse."

"Where do you suggest we land?" snapped a weedy man derisively, gesturing around him.

Azula shot the weedy man a glare and caused him to stare at his boots before answering his question.

"We're not far from Air Nomad Territory-"

"_Are yeh mad_?" exclaimed a particularly elderly sailor.

Azula really did not appreciate the speculation about her sanity.

"Oh, I'm getting there," she said through gritted teeth. "Don't tell me that all you grown men are frightened of ghosts?"

Some of the men shuffled uncomfortably. So they were afraid of ghosts. Fantastic. The old man took a step towards her.

"We've heard things… seen 'em too," he said in a loud whisper. "When you've been on the water as long as we have… you'd believe in ghosts too."

Far from being impressed by the old sea dog's creepy words, Azula crossed her arms and scowled.

"Maybe you drank too much sea water," she said, making no attempt to hide her contempt. "Listen to me... the only Airbender left alive is Avatar Aang. He is Firelord Zuko's most trusted advisor and a tree hugging, pacifistic _idiot_. We _need_ to land."

She turned her glare to the Captain. He flinched slightly but then caught the gaze of the other sailors. It seemed he was more frightened of his superstitious crew than he was her. How foolish...

"We're not risking it," he said in a tone that was more whiny than commanding.

Azula finally lost her temper.

"You're going to get us all killed with your incompetence!" she shouted.

"I think yeh should head back to the cabins, Miss," said the old man coldly.

Knowing that if she stayed any longer she would completely lose it and throw a fireball at someone's face, Azula stormed back towards the cabins. When she was halfway there, a wave smashed into the ship.

Azula seized a railing just him time. Judging from the scream, someone had not. She spun around and, sure enough, the Captain was dangling off the edge, clinging on for dear life. The others were too busy holding on to help him.

Mentally insulting the Captain as viciously as she could manage, Azula raced across the deck to rescue the idiot. She seized his arm moments after he lost his grip and hauled him back onto the deck. He scrambled towards a railing, seized it with both hands and forcefully shut his eyes as if the storm would disappear if he couldn't see it.

The Captain was relatively safe for the moment but that was the least of Azula's troubles. Now she was the one in trouble. The ship lurched and hurled Azula across the deck. Just as she managed to regain her footing, a second wave slammed into her like a rock and threw her overboard.

Azula hated water. She hated water long before Iroh had thrown her over board her own ship and long before Katara had imprisoned her in ice. The deafening noise and sudden silence, the desperate gasping for breath and the chill she was experiencing now did absolutely nothing to improve Azula's opinion of it.

Another wave forced her under. To her eternal shame, Azula caught herself wishing she had accepted Zuko's smug offer of swimming lessons. She could keep afloat in still water but swimming long distances was quite beyond her. Zuko, who was a very strong swimmer, never let her forget it.

Something other than water slammed painfully into her shoulder. Azula would have been overjoyed if she wasn't still choking on sea water. A life boat had been thrown overboard. Someone up there... didn't hate her as much as everyone else. She hauled herself onto it.

Her ship was out of sight. She had been thrown around so much and the clouds were so thick that she had no way of navigating. The only thing she could do was get out of the storm as fast as possible.

Seizing the boat with one hand, she used the other to create a jet of fire to propel the boat forwards, leaving a trail of steam and smoke behind her. The little boat was battered by the ocean but Azula managed to steer it through the storm without a wave smashing it spectacularly to pieces.

After what seemed like (and probably was) hours, Azula passed through the worst of the storm. The water was choppy and tossed the little boat around but she was far too worn out to care.

It stopped had raining. Someone had the foresight to tie bucket securely onto the lifeboat. Azula threw out as much of the water from the bottom of the boat as she could before sinking into an exhausted sleep.

*

The first thing that Azula noticed when she regained consciousness was the cold. She jerked upright.

Icebergs... she was surrounded by icebergs.

Azula didn't need to be an expert in navigation to figure out where she was. She stifled a groan and propelled the boat forward. As much as she would have liked to sail all the way back to the Fire Nation in the leaky tub that had apparently saved her life, there were icicles threatening to form on her drenched clothes and she had no food.

Azula had never been one to panic. Instead, she ran through her options. She needed supplies and she needed to get off the icebox. But the first thing she needed was shelter. There had to be a refuge of some kind on the forsaken, floating monstrosity. Katara's people had managed to survive... so could she.

She dragged the boat ashore and began to look around. It appeared that she was on an icebox full of nothing. The wind was starting to howl again. She coughed up a blue flame to warm her hands and consoled herself with the fact that it wasn't going to get dark for another few months.

She squinted into the never ending landscape of white. She could just make out the faint outline of something in the distance. It could just be another impressive pile of snow or it could be a cave. She trudged through the snow and rewarded for her efforts. It was a cave, if a rather small, icy one.

Once she was out of the wind, Azula slumped against the icy wall, held a blue fireball in her hands to keep her warm and began to think. There was a strange sort of comfort in planning her escape, even if she didn't have a plan yet.

She wondered if her ship had made it to shore in one piece. While her sympathy for the Captain and the other superstitious sailors was limited, she did feel some concern for the old Fire Nation soldier she had spoken to and the other passengers. Azula hoped rather than believed that the Captain's little adventure had scared some sense into him.

Admiral Zhao had proved Firebending was an effective method of fishing. Unlike Zhao, Azula was confident enough in her ability to know that she could catch dinner without being eaten by the giant trout herself. She had a leaky boat which could possibly get her to the Southern Air Temple in one very damp piece. She could get out of there before any of the locals found her. Azula had no intention of being at the mercy of-

Someone was speaking outside. She quickly put out the flame and paused to listen. The voices belonged to adult men.

"...check the cave..."

Azula immediately sprang to her feet. There was no way out of the little cave undetected. The Tribesmen had found her.

"Who's in there?" shouted a man from outside. "Show yourself!"

Damn it. She was getting sloppy. No one snuck up on her. She was always prepared.

Well, she certainly wasn't going to be dragged out by her hair. Azula took a deep breath and calmly walked out to face the Water Tribe men. There were a dozen of them. They were all at least two heads taller than she was and armed with their trademark spears. A basket of fish had been thrown to the ground in their haste.

Apprehended by the fishing party. How embarrassing.

Azula did a quick calculation. They couldn't Waterbend but they were still formidable warriors. She was outnumbered and had a slim chance of escaping unscathed considering how exhausted she felt. She had to talk her way out of this one.

"Who are you?" demanded one of the men.

They didn't recognise her. That could work to her advantage. Azula doubted the Water Tribe was particularly fond of the monster that had fired lightning at their treasured little Waterbender. Another man stood forward. There was something unnervingly familiar about him. Something about his mannerisms told her that he was the one in charge.

"Speak stranger," he said with quiet authority. "Your life may depend on it."

"I am a traveller," answered Azula calmly. "I was thrown overboard my ship."

The man who had spoken first took a menacing step towards her.

"What is your name, _traveller_?" he snarled. "Or must I invent one to carve on your grave stone?"

Azula shot him a glare. There was no need to be impolite.

"My name is none of your concern," she said coolly.

Some of the men laughed. Even the man who had threatened her stifled a chuckle. They seemed to admire her fire in the face of danger (figuratively speaking). Suddenly they didn't seem so fierce. Azula took a breath.

"Now… if you wouldn't _mind_… I would like to return to my camp."

Their leader glanced at the small cave. It was hardly a camp by anyone's standards.

"We cannot leave you here," he said. "There's a blizzard coming. You won't survive."

Azula stared. These people couldn't make up their minds if they were threatening her or not.

"While the concern amidst the death threats is very... _touching_," she said sarcastically, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I'm afraid you'll be dead," said the leader. "Put this on and come with us."

He took off his own fur lined coat and handed it to her. Azula was utterly uncustomed to that kind of behaviour. In the Fire Nation, those who didn't have went without and learned to be better prepared next time.

"That won't be necessary," she said quietly.

"It wasn't a request, young lady."

Azula would have turned scarlet if she wasn't already blue with cold. This man had spoken to her as if she was a _child_. No one, with the irritating exception of Uncle Iroh, had spoken to her like that since she was seven years old.

"Fine," she said, managing to suppress a childish scowl.

Azula grudgingly accepted the coat and was instantly happy she did. She muttered her thanks under her breath so that no one could hear it. Judging from the slight smile, the man was capable of lip reading.

After hurriedly picking up the fish, they departed. The man who had threatened her was walking right behind her in a transparent attempt to make sure she didn't run off, get lost or pass out.

The village was situated on the other side of an icy ridge, protected from the worse of the bad weather. There were an assortment of large tents and buildings. In the centre of the village was a communal fireplace. The villagers themselves, dressed in thick, dyed furs and blue woven tunics, were whispering and pointing at her as though she was some kind of unusual creature.

Azula grimaced. Even the buildings were made of ice.

An elderly couple walked up to meed them. The old man's blue eyes were narrowed in suspicion. The old woman (who also wore those infernal hair loops) raised her eyebrows as they approached.

"Before you say anything, Hakoda," said the old woman dryly, "she's far too young for you and I don't approve."


End file.
